標籤: assignment

LOS ANGELES – After a promising start to his rookie year with the Los Angeles Lakers, things have not always been so smooth for second-year wing Dalton Knecht. Knecht has been unable to crack the Lakers’ rotation, and has had to work some assignments with the team’s South Bay G League affiliate, which was not the case last year.

Dalton Knecht has played two games with South Bay this season, the most recent coming last Wednesday between the Lakers’ home games. After the game, Knecht explained what the Lakers’ coaching staff expects from him when he is assigned to the G League, including going back to his college roots.

“They just tell me to play my game. That’s really it, just play my game,” Knecht said. “One thing I try and focus on is staying in front of my man and capturing D, getting as many rebounds, defensive rebounds and just being Tennessee Dalton.”

In the games he played with South Bay, Knecht certainly looked like ‘Tennessee Dalton’. In his G League debut in November, Knecht dropped 30 points while shooting 6-of-10 from 3-point range. In his second game, he finished with 18 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.

And he’s also had the opportunity to build chemistry with his Lakers teammates. Last week, Bronny James, Edou Thirou, Kobe Bufkin, Nick Smith Jr., Drew Timme and Chris Mannon were all assigned to the South Bay along with Knecht. That group is the Lakers’ ‘be ready’ group, which often scrimmages against each other at the end of practice.

Each of them have received ample time to develop and play with South Bay, and Knecht feels the G League is a good place for live game representatives when there isn’t enough time in the NBA. In Thursday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves’ affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, that group was matched up against the Timberwolves’ rookie big man Jon Beringer and two-way contract players Enrique Freeman and Zion Pullin.

“You get a real opportunity. You’re playing with most of the guys in the league, especially this Iowa team. That’s a good team,” Knecht said. “And we get those reps because at the end of the day it’s going to be important. For all of us, it’s just getting solid minutes and doing what the team says.”

Knecht has played sparingly with the Lakers this season, appearing in 48 games, including one start, in a little more than 10 minutes per game. He’s shooting 44.8 percent from the field, but only 30.7 percent from 3-point range, down from 37.6 from a year ago.

But for South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie, Knecht has done everything Redick and the Lakers staff asked of him when he was assigned to South Bay.

Guthrie said, “I think he’s done a good job of everything he’s been told … He’s comfortable in this environment, comfortable with these players and he’s just getting a chance to get into rhythm, get game reps, game opportunities and stay sharp and be ready when his name is called for the Lakers.” “Credit to DK for coming down and having the right mindset and approach and really attacking in these minutes and these opportunities.”

PHOENIX – Before Rasheer Fleming’s NBA campaign began, there was one player he wanted to protect.

“LeBron James,” Fleming said emphatically during a Phoenix Suns fan event before the season started.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix have met three times, Fleming has never had a chance to guard James or Doncic. He has spent those games either with the Valley Suns (Phoenix’s G-League affiliate) or playing trash.

Due to frequent injuries, he has seen his workload increase. Being mostly a defender, his offensive game has increased rapidly.

He may not surprise anyone yet, but confidence is building. Fleming’s athleticism, wingspan and defense make him a worthy addition to the rotation.

The emerging offensive game—and the 3-point shot in particular—has intrigued fans as well as the Suns’ coaching staff.

Head coach Jordan Ott matched Fleming up against Boston Celtics guard Peyton Pritchard on Tuesday, where the latter shot 1 of 11 from the field.

Two days later, the coach spoke about the rookie’s responsibility to guard “some of the best players in the world”, in reference to James and Luka Doncic. The starry nature was not disturbing him at all.

“I think later,” Fleming said when asked about matching up with James and Doncic. “Like, I’m going to go home and maybe think about it more. But during the game, I’m too competitive to focus on it.”

I asked Rasheer Fleming if he gets starstruck in the middle of a game or does it happen after.

He’s been guarding Luka Doncic regularly and had his eye on LeBron James tonight.

“I think later. Like, I’m going to go home and maybe think about it more. But during the game, I also… pic.twitter.com/KVcKFD89Wx

– Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) 27 February 2026

Suns teammates see Rasheer Fleming’s emerging potential

Fleming has all the tools to become an elite NBA defender. But an elite offensive player? Apart from his colleagues, this thing has not come to the mind of many people.

He has been hired for Valley Sons, and is reaping the rewards of his labor. There can be slight fluctuations between G-League and NBA games, sometimes on the same day.

But it’s all part of the process and Fleming took it seriously. Since the start of the new year, his work ethic and commitment to being prepared has paid off.

In the second half, Ott replaced the starters with the second unit, of which Fleming was part. He hit two 3-point shots and fired up the Phoenix crowd.

His aggressive play further increased his influence.

While he sat on the bench cheering, it was another game for Fleming in the eyes of Colin Gillespie, who raved about his rookie’s potential for about 30 seconds after the game.

“We always tell him he doesn’t know how good he can be,” Gillespie told reporters.

“He can be so, so good. I don’t even think he’s (close to) his ceiling. He probably doesn’t even know what the ceiling is. I don’t even know what his ceiling is. He still has a lot to discover offensively, but defensively, just on the ball, his length, deflections. He does everything.”

With injuries plaguing the team, this could be a legitimate opportunity for Fleming to fully integrate himself onto the Phoenix Suns roster.